Wounds
by Space and Sound
Summary: After the ambush in Calais, Sebastian is brought back gravely wounded with little hope of surviving as his life rests on Nostradamus and his assistant's abilities. Will she tend correctly to his wounds or will she cause some more? Sebastian/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: The events take place at the end of episode 3 and forward. Please give it a try ;) enjoy and let me know your opinion!**

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_Wounds_

_Chaper 1 - Survivor_

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It had been quite a quiet morning. Victoria would wake up at dawn to join her mentor, Nostradamus. A proper lady as young as she was should have found a place at the French court. However, there was nearly nothing proper when it came to her. Born and raised in the countryside to a poor family with no prospect of future, Victoria knew that even if she was to be given a decent education before joining the court, she would fail simply because her main responsibility was to tend to her dying mother. Of course, her knowledge was poor and healers were far too pricy for her father to pay for, so, on her last attempt, Victoria searched for someone who could help her achieve that insight.

Soon after, she came across Nostradamus whose reputation was outstanding among the court and the queen herself, but she made him an offer and he took it for he needed an extra hand in his studies. Victoria then became in charge of supplying Nostradamus with herbs and some other things he would require in exchange for his help.

She had been working with him for a fortnight now and even though she was forbidden to prepare any potions or even touch anything, her mind registered his every movement and she could only hope that one day she could be as good as he was. Nostradamus was blessed with the power of foreseeing things and he would often complain that it was too much for him to handle. Some nights, she would stay in his study room and would sleep in an improvised bed when it was too late to return home and his groans and moans during his sleep would barely keep her calm. In nights like that, she would not sleep at all and would rather walk the castle immersed in her worries and thoughts.

Victoria didn't think of herself as a pretty girl and the freckles that covered her pale face gave her little seriousness and made her look far too young. At first, upon seeing her, the queen thought Nostradamus _needs_ had reached a critical point, but the man was far too devoted to his work to even have time to think about that and she immediately pushed that idea away as she embraced the seventeen year old girl in her castle. Most ladies would wear their hair long and with complex designs that sometimes made them look like pigeons rather than attractive women and that was why Victoria's unusual platinum hair would barely reach her shoulders. She would often tie it up in a messy knot not to have it fall on her face, but that day, she left it loose.

As usual, Nostradamus sat in his chair as he wrote something quickly and she assumed he was exchanging letters with the queen. Any other person would think the old woman had a passion for her loyal subject, but he cared not for that. At least, since being there, he had never shown signs of caring for any woman's affections. The only time he'd leave the room was to inform the queen of something important regarding his visions which were the only thing she cared about.

"Good morning," Victoria quietly mumbled as she tied her shirt right in front of him, as always. The man didn't even lift his gaze away from the parchment. "How was your night?"

Of course, she didn't expect him to actually answer her right away, but eventually he did with his attention still buried in his writing. "Well, thank you. Did not sleep much, though."

"Visions?"

"Hm."

They were becoming quite frequent now and she reckoned it to be the arrival of Mary Stuart. The queen would not let a day pass without bothering him about it.

She finished composing herself within reason and took a bit on an apple that rested on a basket nearby.

"I would not eat-" he started, lifting his eyes to look at her, but halted when he saw her chewing already.

"What?" Victoria asked rather worried, eyes widening in terror. A foul taste penetrated her mouth and she spat it all over the table.

"I guess I will have to write a new one," Nostradamus drawled, clearly worried about his parchment that had stains of chewed apple all over it. "No matter, it is not a pressing matter, at least for me."

"I am sorry, but you did not warn me…"

Victoria always forgot that she ought to be careful with everything _eatable _there since he made sure to experiment on fruit, seeds, meat, fish and some other nasty things. She took a glimpse at the apple in her hand and could not detect anything visibly wrong with it.

"What did you do to it?"

The man rose to his feet and wrinkled the piece of paper in his hands. "Does not matter. You spoiled it, anyway."

Victoria frowned at his remark and threw the apple back in the basket. It took her a moment to realize that he was shirtless which revealed much, far too much. He wasn't too muscular and it was perfectly understandable since he preferred not to get involved in military activities, but still…

He was a fine man and it didn't surprise her that the queen would sometimes linger her eyes far too long on his features. Victoria shook the inappropriate thoughts off her mind and waited for him to give her some order.

He grabbed a random shirt that was hanging in a chair and took his time to put it on. In the meantime, her eyes travelled down his back and the way his muscles flexed each time he made a sudden movement and before she knew it he was staring at her with a raised brow. "Victoria? Are you ill?"

She honestly didn't know what had gotten into her that day to care about _these_ things, but neither had had the time to actually dwell on it for long as loud voices and hurried steps were heard across the hall.

Nostradamus immediately expected the worse and waited for someone to come in. As the door flew open in a split of seconds, a frenzy of events took place before her eyes as she stood frozen in place.

Two men were poorly carrying someone in their arms and she immediately recognized him.

Sebastian.

The bastard son of the king was as pale as death and nearly unconscious as they placed him on improvised bed she would sleep in. His vests were open across his chest and a trail of blood was splattered on his abdomen. Nostradamus kneeled by his side and averted Sebastian's torn shirt to the side only to look at a profound wound in his right side. He then went still for a second and Victoria knew this was related to something he had seen. The way he then looked at the queen confirmed it.

The young girl looked at the man and her chest tightened as she knew his death was imminent. Averting her eyes, she saw that Mary Stuart and her fiancé, Francis, were also there with worried looks upon their faces. She hadn't seen her before and she now knew the rumors were true. She was a beautiful young lady who had the fortune of being engaged to a fine man like Prince Francis. But right now, she was more worried with the man that was bleeding to death before their eyes.

"The cost of war will reach inside this castle…"

The queen's words were more like an epiphany and it seemed like something Victoria's mentor would have said to her before.

Once again, the doors were open with a strong push and the king entered. "How is he?"

"He is gravely injured," Nostradamus replied immediately. "I can tend to is wounds and ease the pain, but I make no guarantees."

She knew he spoke the truth. Nostradamus was a great healer and he would never promise anything he couldn't do and that was what made her admire him so.

"Father…" Sebastian murmured with much effort as his half-brother joined his side. "The English… rode out from Calais to face us… we never made it to the ships. It was a slaughter."

Nostradamus immediately intervened before he could say anything more. "He shouldn't be talking. I'll give him a potion and put him to sleep. Clear the room… it's the best thing for him."

However, Francis decided to ignore the healer. "Bash? Bash, I'm so sorry…"

"Come," the king ordered his legitimate heir. "Come!"

Everyone else followed his command and exited the room with nothing to say, leaving the injured man to his cares.

As soon as the doors were shut, Nostradamus ran a hand through a clean towel and sighed deeply. "It won't be easy. He is losing too much blood."

"What can I do?" Victoria asked, feeling her mouth dry.

"Victoria, I know I haven't had the time to teach you the principles of healing and tending to someone in need, but right now I need you to come here and clean his wound the best you can and to press it with a towel."

The way he said it made her cringe in discomfort, but she assumed her position by Sebastian's side and picked up a piece of cloth to wash of the blood stains on his skin. His breathing was slow and she could tell the potion hadn't done its purpose yet.

"Who…"

He did try to speak, but Victoria didn't allow it. "Please, my lord. Do not speak… it will aggravate your condition."

She looked around to see if Nostradamus was nearby and she realized he had left her alone with him. Victoria didn't know what to do. Her mother was dying, yes. However, her disease was of the mind and there was little to do except to provide comfort.

The towel was pressed as harder as she could against the wound and for several times he did complain in pain. Most of the blood had dried out and she was having a hard time to remove it even with some water. Each time she stroked his skin with it she looked at his face to see his response. In time, he stopped reacting and his breathing was now even.

Victoria kept one hand holding the towel as the other made its way up his torso and finally to his forehead that was damped in sweat. With a soft and precise move, she wiped it away and let herself ease for a minute. She took a moment to look at the man before her. To be frank, she had never actually seen him and had only heard rumors about him across the castle and she realized they didn't do him justice. It was said he was a very handsome man and that resembled his father in both looks and behavior, but Victoria didn't agree in the slightest. Yes, the king was _adequate_, but his bastard son had strong features. Some other rumors were directed to his love life and how he spent most of his time courting women. It was to be expected. Normally, men with such nice features tend to have success among the ladies and the fact that he had money only made it more appealing and Victoria found herself letting her free hand caress his face, his torso, his abdomen and letting her eyes take in his body.

"Victoria," Nostradamus called. "How is he? Is he asleep?"

She jolted in surprise. "Yes… what more can I do?"

He put on a random cloak and took a look at Sebastian. "I need to go to the market to buy some things to close the wound. It won't take long. If he wakes up, do not let him speak and if he insists put a towel in his mouth. He is a very bad patient…"

Somehow that left Victoria with the uneasy feeling that this would be harder than she thought…


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'll be updating in a day or two. Please let me know what you think :) enjoy!  
**

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Two days had passed since Victoria had been placed in charge of Sebastian's well-being and it was true what Nostradamus had said: he was indeed a very demanding patient and she could hardly force him to stay still for a couple of hours. That day, she had her hair tied up in an arranged knot as to give her a more delicate appearance. She was also running out of clean clothes to wear since her other vests were stained with blood and dirt which left her with little option. So, she picked up a long-sleeved shirt with a V neck that probably wasn't the best idea, but it was preferable than to ask Nostradamus for his clothes.

According to her mentor, his wound was starting to close and even though the pain still had to be dealt with, his colors had returned and so his aversion to Nostradamus.

"Has he always been like this?" She asked, trying to sound as casual as possible. The last thing she needed was for him to start asking questions about her curiosity.

He nodded.

"Well, the way he deals with you makes it look as if he wanted to behead you with his eyes."

As usual, Nostradamus was too absorbed in his studies to pay attention and he waved his hand dismissively which made her frown deeply. "I need to go home today, Nostradamus."

This made him glance up from his paperwork and regard the petite girl in front of him. Victoria knew that look on his face and she was sure he was preparing a speech on how important her training was and that there was little to do at home. The only reason her father agreed to this was because Nostradamus made sure a bag of silver coins would fall in his hands every month. Some might wonder why a man would go so far as to give out a bit of his fortune just for an assistant, but she knew he was desperate for one and nearly everyone would refuse to be related to the healer.

Nostradamus' face crumpled. "I do need you here, Victoria. My work in this castle doesn't rotate around Sebastian and I could use an extra pair of eyes."

"I have a family," she answered primly. "I know my mother's condition won't improve, but I have a young sister to take care of. I haven't been home for a week…"

He hesitated, shooting a glance at Sebastian who was heavily resting just behind them. "You have seen the way he reacts to my advice regarding his health. I am sure with you he will reconsider before telling you to go to hell. Sebastian has an eye for pretty girls and, to be quite frank, I think you will do a much better job than me."

Her mentor sure wasn't a man to hand out compliments. "I am not pretty! And you are just desperate."

"That is irrelevant."

What was?

The truth was that she wasn't sure how to impose order to a man who was hierarchically above her. In the past few days, Nostradamus was in charge of taking care of him while Sebastian was awake, leaving the task of supervision to her which meant she had never truly spoken to him.

"I will personally write a letter to your father indicating that I require your presence here for one more week and after that you may go home," he proposed, looking randomly outside the only window in the chamber. "I do have to go now. It is almost noon and I have business to attend to."

Victoria wasn't pleased with his offer, but he wouldn't let her argue the terms. "What if he wakes up?"

"I reckon he is about to," Nostradamus mused as he put on some shoes and a robe." Do not let his position at court scare you or prevent you from giving him orders. A firm hand is all he needs."

"Should I be afraid that he might attack me or something?"

As stupid as it might sound, Nostradamus had done nothing but to frighten her and she was giving in. She'd heard vaguely about how brave he was and stubborn. The queen, obviously, hated him for reminding her every day of her husband's infidelity. However, Sebastian was the result of an already destroyed marriage. He didn't cause it.

He sat up in his chair with a sigh, elbows resting in the table. His eyes were closed as he ran a run through his messy hair. "You are aware of his reputation with women, are you not?" he asked lightly, as if suddenly tired.

Victoria flushed slightly at his question. She wasn't very familiar with men's needs or affairs and she knew little of Sebastian's personal life. She had a faint idea, but wasn't ready to discuss it with her mentor. "I suppose."

"Then you know why it's preferable that you take care of him from now on rather than me," he said evenly. "His wound his healing nicely enough to discard my intervention. With me, he will just start an assault of insults and it is more likely that he walks away from here even if I give him a gallon of sedative. He does repulse this place."

She instinctively placed a hand on the top opening of her shirt, trying to find a way to close that gap. Of course, Nostradamus noticed and smiled at her. "Do not worry, Victoria. Even Sebastian would not dare to be as bold as that."

Somehow that did not reassure her, but she decided the matter die right there. She would find pin meanwhile before he woke up just to be safe. Well, not that she was a anything compared to those beautiful women at court that made every man go crazy. Quite frankly, she was being paranoid and to think a man in his position would even look at a servant. Victoria then decided to leave her shirt as it was.

Nostradamus left moments after, instructing her on what to do and she could only hope he would not wake up for the rest of the day…

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Sebastian's head throbbed immensely making it really hard for him to open his eyes. After some attempts, he finally succeeded. The memories of Calais and blood flooded his mind and for his own sake he decided to put that aside for a moment.

He didn't know how long it had been since he was brought here, but he reckoned it had been for far too long. There was no way on earth he was to stay in Nostradamus chamber one more minute. He found the place dark and gloomy and it had crossed his mind several times how a person could live with so little sunlight in the room. This was not a mourning chamber and he wasn't dying so he demanded some light in here before he could sneak out.

He used his elbows to help him raise his wounded torso from the bed he was in. A jolt of pain immediately ran up his spine telling him that it was a bad idea what he was about to do. But Sebastian was a determined young man and he wouldn't let a small incision incapacitate him. With another effort, he dragged his dormant legs to de side, allowing him to sit straight.

That damned Nostradamus didn't even take into consideration that some piece of cloth to cover his upper body would be appreciated. The only thing he could see were some garments placed directly above his wound. He ran a hand carefully along it and realized it had been a small cut. Small, but painful. Sebastian had been lucky the English didn't finish him when they had the chance. That certainly would have pleased the queen.

Clenching his fists, Sebastian felt shame fall on him. It had been a very obvious trap set by them and he still fell for it without take any precaution.

Decided not to linger there any more, he looked around the room to see if he could find some candles nearby. He conjured all the strength in his body to stand up even though his wound was pulsating more than ever. He ignored it as best as he could and took a few steps towards a table in the center on the room. His feet complained of how cold the floor was, but he refused to get properly dressed in the dark.

Thankfully, there was no one there to stop him.

"Where do you think you are going, sir?"

Apparently, he was mistaken. He shifted his gaze to the source of the sound and found a petite girl standing a few paces away from him. She was rather short with her platinum hair tied up in her head. What really surprised him was her poor choice of clothes for she was merely wearing a very broad shirt which had the most revealing neck-line he had ever seen in a lady. Well, clearly she wasn't a lady. Her pants were far too large for her frame and that only made her look younger than she was already.

Sebastian didn't mind at all that women liked to show her attributes off, but he was pretty sure that girl had no clue of how exposed she was to him.

At this, he couldn't help but to smile in amusement. "Well, good day to you, too, lady…"

Her eyes darted around the room as if making sure they were alone. "You must not stand up like this, sir. Please return to your bed."

It took a while before Sebastian realized _she _worked here. He frowned inwardly hoping Nostradamus hadn't caught the girl somewhere and was now exploring her as a slave. She truly didn't fit into his standard for women especially being this… young. However, her apparent innocence made it more fun to watch.

"I am leaving, lady."

"No, you are not, my lord," she contested, taking a few steps towards her. Hell, she was truly short. "I have direct orders from Master Nostradamus not to let you make any movements that might endanger your wound."

Sebastian laughed. "That man is no master and most certainly does not control me. I am leaving."

"No! Go back to bed now, sir!"

Sebastian turned around and looked at the girl whose hands were clamped over her mouth. Her words had betrayed her. "Are you commanding me?"

He saw her go pale. "I… I am sorry… I…"

Was he making her that nervous? He wasn't threatening her. Sebastian approached the bed and stood there. "Who are you?"

"My name is Victoria and I am Nostradamus' apprentice. He placed me in charge of you while is out," she answered promptly, surprising Sebastian.

He snorted at her answer. "Let us pray to God that your do not mean 'apprentice' in the literal meaning of the word. It would be a waste," he then purposely let his eyes roam her from head to toe just to make feel more uncomfortable. "How old are you, Victoria?"

"Seventeen, sir."

He saw her look down on her shirt and go a bright red on her cheeks. "I would wear something else for your own safety."


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello, dear readers. I am currently looking for a beta for my story. I would really appreciate if someone offered to do it ^^**

**I will be updating as soon as I find a beta reader!**

**Thank you!**


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